The Zeuorian Awakening (12 page)

She ran faster.

Another crackling noise pierced her ear drums and the lightning struck a foot away. It threw her body into the air. She landed hard on the ground, knocking the air out her lungs.

She lifted herself on to her feet and stared up at another lightning bolt barreling down toward her. There was no time for her to run or leap away. Instead, she raised her hand and focused all her thoughts on controlling the lightning bolt.

The lightning bounced off her palm and into the field.

She couldn’t believe her hand deflected the lightning. None of the paranormal abilities she read on the web ever mention deflecting lightning. But she wasn’t complaining either, not while another bolt of lightning was headed her way.

She lifted her hand again and deflected another lightning bolt. Then another bolt of lightning struck down and another and another. She kept deflecting them from entering her body, growing weaker by the minute until she had no strength left. Her body crumpled and collapsed to the ground. The field went dark.

Lexi moaned. Her entire body ached; even her hair follicles ached. It was the only clue she hadn’t died. Well, except someone’s arms were holding her close to their muscular chest. She cracked open her eyes and stared up at Tyler smiling down at her.

“How do you feel?” he asked.

With a strained voice, she choked out, “I’m fine.”

She noticed over his shoulder a small crowd had gathered around her with Dillon, Robert and Everett amongst them. All three of them had a concerned look on their faces. The other kids were talking to each other. They were shocked to see that she survived after being struck several times by lightning. She hoped they didn’t realize anything was off.

Tyler brushed away the wet hair stuck to her face. “You’re safe now, but next time don’t run from me.”

“
Or be reckless and run out in the field with a death wish,”
her Watcher said.
“Do you want to die?”

“
No,”
she said telepathically to her Watcher.
“I was trying to spare as many lives as possible. So,”
she brushed away a few tears on her cheek,
“how many people did I hurt this time?”

She could almost hear him debating to lecture her further, but he held off and answered,
“Only a few people I could tell got hurt, but nothing serious. Now can you promise not to do that again?”

No. Not after hurting another group of people with her damn powers. She rather sacrifice herself if it meant saving someone from being killed by her. It would be better than spending a life knowing she killed an innocent victim.

“
It won’t come to that if you avoid getting nervous or upset,”
he said.

“
That’s easier said than done.”

Tyler lifted her up. “I should take you home.”

Case in point.

Lexi pulled the thermometer out of her mouth and read the temperature. One hundred degrees, the same temperature as it was outside. Great, her atomkinesis was growing stronger like how her telekinesis had.

She rolled back onto her stomach to reread the newspaper article about the fire. “During a severe electrical storm a fire broke out while high school students were in their classes. It’s speculated that the freak lightning storm caused the fire, but further investigation is required.”

They wanted to investigate. What would they discover? Would anything lead the half-breeds to her?

“
Relax.”
her Watcher’s voice echoed in her mind.
“No one will figure out you started the fire. Only an eyewitness can point the finger at you and everyone was too busy watching the fire or running away to notice what you did.”

Damn. She forgot to block her thoughts again. But for him to hear her, he had to be somewhere close.

She jumped from her bed and looked out the window. No new cars were parked along the road and there were no one standing outside. She sighed and dropped back onto her bed to continue reading the article.

“If it hadn’t been for the fast thinking of one teacher, Mr. Lyle Dean, several students were able to escape being struck by lightning outside the auto shop class.” She sucked in her breath. “Although, fourteen students were taken to the emergency room and several others suffered minor cuts and burns. No lives were lost during this catastrophe.”

This catastrophe?
As if the reporter had known it wouldn’t be the last catastrophe in Brookings. Maybe she should run away and live in the mountains so she wouldn’t cause anything else to happen.

“
Running away to a remote location won’t solve anything,”
her Watcher said.
“If you were to lose control, everyone close by would know you did it. There wouldn’t be anyone else to blame. It’s better for you to stay in town where there are several people to hide amongst.”

It was better for her to stay. The thought left a bad taste in her mouth since it was unfair to place everyone in danger of getting hurt or dying just to save her. Why was her life more important than anyone else’s?

“
Cause it is,”
her Watcher said.

Before Lexi could ask him why her cell phone buzzed. She had a text message from Angie, “You’re aunts gone. Come to the party. She’ll never know.”

Lexi stared at the message and wished Angie would just let her be so she could avoid making anything else happen. She typed, “CD9 ability growing stronger,” and hit the send button.

The phone buzzed again and she read Angie’s response. “U shouldn’t be alone. Coming over 2 CU.”

Great. She had five minutes before Angie would arrive. Hopefully, she could master controlling atomkinesis in the time it took Angie to walk from her house down the street to hers so she could avoid hurting Angie.

The doorbell rang and Lexi rolled her eyes. It was too late.

She slowly climbed out of bed, walked down the stairs and opened the door. Tyler leaned against the doorjamb with a smile on his face. He had on a pair of shorts and sandals. His bare muscular chest glistened with suntan oil.

“Angie told me you weren’t going to the beach party with that loser.” He took her hand in his. “I thought you’d like some company.”

The clouds gathered in the sky and a cold gust of air blew past her as the back of her neck perspired. Hanging out with him alone in her house while her atomkinesis was growing stronger had disaster written all over it. She didn’t want another repeat of what had happened at school.

“Sorry Tyler, but I’m spending the evening with Angie,” Lexi said, pointing toward Angie as she walked across the sidewalk and onto her porch.

“Hey guys,” Angie said. “So are we staying in or do you want me to leave you two lovebirds alone?” Then she thought.
“And so you can question him about being your Watcher.”

Lexi glared at her. “No, we’re staying in.” She pulled Angie inside and away from Tyler so he couldn’t hear her say, “Remember what I told you. Not to think about what I can do or my Watcher just in case one of the half-breeds is listening in on our thoughts.”

“Sorry. I forgot.” Angie lowered her head and stared at the cement. “It would be easier if I could discuss your secret in front of Tyler since he’s always around you, watching you,” she said, hinting Lexi should tell Tyler the truth since he had to be her Watcher.

Lexi rolled her eyes. “I already told you, I don’t think he’s my Watcher.”

No way could he be her Watcher after he kissed her and made her lose control. Her Watcher would never place her in jeopardy of exposing herself to the other half-breeds looking for her.

Angie shook her head, “Have you ever thought that he could be your Watcher, but kissed you to keep Everett away from you so you won’t expose yourself to him.”

“Or he wanted to get me alone to make out with me.”

However, Lexi hated to admit a very small part of her questioned if there had been more behind Tyler’s kiss other than trying to keep Everett from dating her like he was trying to protect her. That would explain why Tyler went out of his way to personally protect her after the school caught on fire instead of letting Everett.

“Fine, you win,” Lexi said. “But I’m questioning him at the beach and you’re coming with me so he has no excuse to touch me, if my first impression of him is correct.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to stay at home? If he does end up being your Watcher, he would make a perfect boyfriend.” Angie was in full matchmaker mode. “Then you wouldn’t have to worry about hiding your abilities from him. He would help you stay hidden from the others and I bet he’s a great kisser.”

Lexi let out an exasperated sigh. “I’m not going to chance making another catastrophe happen.” She walked over to Tyler and said, “I changed my mind. I’m going to the beach party. Wait here while I put on something warm to wear and then we can all go together.”

She ran upstairs before Angie took another opportunity to push her to spend the night alone with Tyler. Then she threw on her jeans, thermal top and mother’s hoodie. She was ready to handle freezing weather and crush any possible excuse Tyler could use to get close to her. She ran downstairs, slammed the door behind her and stopped.

Angie had gone.

“Where did she go?” Lexi demanded.

“To the party.” Tyler walked toward his Hummer parked next to the curb. “I need to stop by my house and change my clothes before we go.”

“I’m sure she didn’t put up a fight and volunteered for you to drive me.”

“Something like that.” Tyler opened the passenger door. “But I suggested it so we could have a chance to be alone before we go to the party.”

Great. Angie picked the worse time to trick her into being alone with him. She slumped into the leather seat, wiped the perspiration from her brow as the clouds turned a darker gray color.

Ten minutes later, Lexi stepped out of Tyler’s Hummer parked on a gravel road several feet from his beachside mansion. Marble pillars surrounded the two large wrought-iron doors that led inside the glass structure. The dark clouds in the sky mirrored the nervous storm brewing inside her.

“I’ll wait out here while you go inside and change out of your swim trunks,” she said, shivering despite wearing thermals.

“You’re freezing. You should wait inside.” Tyler wrapped his arm around her shoulder and drew her close to his bare chest. “If you like, I’ll take you on a tour of my house.”

This was no time for sight-seeing with him and ending up alone in one of the many rooms of his mansion, especially since he seemed determined to make out with her. “Maybe another time.” She slipped out of his hold. “I don’t want to be late to the party.”

“Oh, you have time for a short tour.”

Tyler grabbed her wrist and pulled her down the paved path. It twisted around a large water fountain centered close to the front door. He pulled her through the wrought-iron doors and into the foyer.

The walls were decorated with custom paneling and famous paintings. In the center of the room sat a mahogany table with a beautiful arrangement of long-stem red roses. To her right she saw a grand staircase that led up to a landing with a cathedral-style window. To her left she saw a hall that curved and disappeared out of view. But not once did she notice anyone else inside his mansion.

“Are your parents home?” she asked.

“No. I haven’t seen my mother since I was a kid and my father is staying in California for the next six months.”

She took a step back. “He left you here alone.”

“I’m an adult. I turned eighteen a month ago.” He tugged at her hand and put his foot on the first step of the staircase. “Come on, I’ll show you my room while I change my clothes.”

Go to his room while he took off his clothes, no way. She ripped her hand from his. “I’ll wait here if you don’t mind.”

He cupped her chin in his hand. “You have nothing to be afraid of. I’m not going to do anything to you unless you want me to.” He winked at her, hinting that he was more than eager to fulfill any requests she might have. “But you can wait in the kitchen and when I get back we can have something to eat.”

She didn’t want to spend a second longer than necessary in his house. She offered instead, “We can eat at the party.”

“Oh, you don’t want to eat that food. Mine is so much better.” Tyler pulled her into the kitchen and over to the double wide refrigerator. He removed a container and put it in the microwave. “I’m going upstairs. I’ll be back in a minute.” He left before she had a chance to protest.

Dammit. She had to find a way to escape before Tyler made another pass at her. She scanned the kitchen outfitted with custom mahogany cabinets and oversize appliances. Through the large window next to the sink she spotted an Olympic-size pool with a large waterfall.

He must be worth millions. No wonder why Dillon said Tyler always got what he wanted, no matter what. Tyler just had to ask for his father’s credit card and he could buy anything he wanted. Well, almost anything. He couldn’t buy her.

Money, expensive cars and a big house just weren’t her style. Her parents’ house in the middle of the redwoods was more like it. His place was too extravagant for her taste. If she wanted to be rich, she was already going to be once she turned eighteen and inherited her parent’s estate and engineering firm. But she would give it all up to have them back.

The buzzer on the microwave went off. “Perfect timing,” Tyler said as he strolled into the room wearing a sweater and jeans. “Here, sit by the counter.” He patted the bar stool. “You’re going to love this.” He scooped up a bite with a fork, blew on it for a few seconds and held it out for her. “Go on and try it.”

What the hell? If it meant leaving a minute earlier, she would eat the damn food. She grabbed the fork and polished off the chicken piccata in three bites. “I’m done,” she said with her mouth full, moving toward the door. “So, are you ready to go?”

“Not yet.” He stood in her path. “The party won’t start for another hour and I wanted a chance to convince you to reconsider staying here for the night instead of hanging out with our friends. And give me a chance to convince you to be my girlfriend.”